Vermont Legislature Elects Democrat Peter Shumlin as Governor

Peter Shumlin took the oath of office as Vermont's governor Thursday, but not before he was officially elected to the position in a joint session of the state Legislature.

The vote by lawmakers was required by Vermont's constitution because neither Shumlin nor his Republican opponent, former Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, received more than 50 percent of the vote in the Nov. 2 election, Burlington's Free Press reported.

Vermont residents gave Shumlin 49.5 percent of the vote in November, while Dubie got 47.7 percent. Dubie conceded to Shumlin the day after the election.

In the legislature Thursday, Shumlin received 145 votes, compared to 28 votes for Dubie, according to CNN.

Shumlin, a 54-year-old former state senator, replaces Republican Jim Douglas in the governor's mansion.

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roncwms

I heard Dr. Howard Dean say Vermont is setting up a "public option" healthcare exchange and that such is allowed under "ObamaCare." Is that correct? If so, I'd like to learn more so I can encourage our state (NC) to follow Vermont.

Maybe it says they have adults in Vermont. The spread was narrow, procedures were followed. The Republican nominee showed class and conceded. Lawyers did not arrive en mass accompanied by spin doctors, media pundits...sounds like the days America longs for....

One conclusion I came to from this article is that the people who vote Republican have very little representation in the State Legislature. 145 votes for the Dem and just 28 votes for the Republican. The spread in the election results was less than 2%. That state legislature needs a thorough makeover.